CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Somewhere I Belong
Starlight AT: The scoreline suggest something different…
Metal Overlord 2.0: I hope you enjoy this one as well. Sorry for taking so long to update.
KageNoNeko: By all means, read it as many times as you wish!
Candyman123: Then you have no idea what is going to come soon….
Jason Becker lay prone on the ground, his eyelids shut. He remained in that position for a few moments, until suddenly, his eyes snapped open. He lay like that for a moment, already taking in his surroundings and scanning the area for threats. He found none. Slowly, very slowly, he lurched upwards, constantly glancing around the room for the enemy that did not seem ready to make his presence known.
He was in a dark forest, and it seemed well past midnight. The crescent moon stood out in the inky black sky like a butterfly among cockroaches. He was in a small clearing, with the trees growing thickly all around him. On his hand was his Duel Disk, and he reassuringly felt for his deck in his jacket pocket.
"So this is the magic of the Abyss," he thought silently.
"No, Jason… This is all real."
He looked to his right. It was as if he was looking into a mirror. Standing right there, not ten feet from him, was an identical image of himself. He stood exactly six feet two inches tall, and had the same long hair that fell similarly over his forehead. His dark eyes probed deep into Jason's features… Just as Jason's own did. He too had a Duel Disk on his arm, but was dressed differently from Jason's black jacket and blue jeans. He wore a tight black T-Shirt that captured his toned body well. He also had on a long trench coat, the ends of which were carried upwards in the slight breeze of the night.
"Have you forgotten me?"
Jason stared back momentarily. His eyes gave away nothing. "You're not real."
The other man smiled. It was a horrible, unnerving smile. "I'm as real as you can get, Jason. As real as you can get."
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When Daniel's eyes opened, he found himself lying on a hard, concrete floor. Echoing throughout the air around him was that same haunting music that had forced him to undergo so many sleepless nights. Even now, anything similar to that music did not fail to make him shudder. It was the notes played on a particular organ pipe… the organ that always sounded death.
"Daniel…"
The voice. That same voice that had taken his life.
"Sestros…" he murmured.
He staggered upwards, eyes blazing. His ears were pricked upwards, while his lower jaw was left slack a little. All his demonic instincts had kicked in.
The man in the impeccable suit walked towards him. The room was huge, especially since the organ on which the Torture King had been playing extended so high into the crimson mist of the room that Daniel could barely see it. But the otherwise diminutive businessman, who barely stood five foot eight, seemed to dominate the room.
He chuckled. That evil laugh hung in the air, suspended in Daniel's eardrums. He didn't know what to think.
"Not Sestros. Garlin. Giovan Garlin."
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Eizan's eyes opened as the plane came grinding to a halt, in the private airfield located some distance from New York. With Eagle's vast monetary resources it would have been easy to purchase a berth for his plane in John F. Kennedy Airport, but he had chosen not to, as too many questions would be asked.
The details of Li's own personal wealth was unknown to Eizan, but what he did know that it was huge. It was more than likely that he had a jet waiting for him at Los Angeles International Airport, ready and waiting to take him to New York.
Which meant he must have probably arrived in the city already. Getting through Seto Kaiba's security would be a chore, and more than likely Sarah would have captured him already, given that he had explained the delicate nature of the situation to her.
He stalked towards the waiting SUV, and got into the passenger's seat. The blank-faced driver in the front glanced back at him. "Where to, Mr. Nakamura?"
"The harbor." The driver nodded and slotted the keys into the ignition. Eizan looked at the guard who had gotten into the car in front of him.
"I need some kind of boat ready by the time we get there. Make the necessary calls, please."
The guard nodded. All these men obeyed Eizan unquestioningly. But if Li was able to talk, that would all end then and there. At the very least, the disaster at Necropolis had bought him some amount of time. It meant Jason had not yet returned, meaning Eizan himself had an opportunity to meet him first and tell the man whom he was supposedly a kind of father figure to the truth.
He pulled out his own cell phone, and dialed Sarah Taylor's number.
After a few rings, she picked up. "Sarah?" He tried to sound casual, relaxed, and friendly.
"Sir!" She sounded worried, nervous.
"What's wrong?" he replied with concern.
"There's something weird going on here, sir. It seems some madman has breached Kaiba's security, and gotten into the building. He's already killed three of Kaiba's men. The rest of the guards have kept us on one floor, and half of them are standing guard there while the other are mapping out the possible areas where he's hiding."
Eizan gasped. Could this be Li's doing?
"Joey and Serenity Wheeler are missing, so is that demon Siegfried Reinhardt!" Eizan immediatley discounted it. Li's primary target in Jason's absence would be Sarah.
"Some of the other guys here are getting very restless."
"What about Kaiba?" enquired Eizan.
She sounded surprised. "He didn't tell you?"
Eizan felt a growing sense of worry about the chaotic situation. "He didn't tell me what?"
"Kaiba and one other kid, I haven't even heard of him, well, they've gone to Switzerland."
Eizan's eyes widened. "Switzerland?"
"Yeah. Rikuo spoke to him. Apparently he was in a very foul mood. I think he was very angry about being kept out of the loop on certain things, by Eagle and the Infinity Council. Honestly, sir, we can't just be kept sitting here while Jason, Brian and those other duelists are in Necropolis."
At least she didn't know about their current predicament. Eizan saw no reason to inform her of it and worry her even more.
"All right, now what about this murderer in the building?"
"We have no idea. He's disabled multiple security cameras."
Eizan groaned. "How many guards are still alive?"
"We have fourteen on our floor. I don't know about the others. But that's not the issue. Aside from Serena and myself, two trained Eagle agents, we have a Millennium Item holder, and two Demon Lords. Not to mention a couple of other kids with experience in this field anyway. What I'm worried about is how that person was able to breach not only Kaiba's security, but also the spells set up by the Infinity Council."
"The Council's magic wouldn't protect against single intruders. It was designed more to prevent an attack by a whole legion of Apocalypse's army."
"Well, one single intruder's primary obstacle would be Kaiba's security system, then," continued Sarah.
"If he was powerful enough to do so, he would have probably destroyed the system completely," replied Eizan.
"That would have attracted to much attention," disagreed Sarah. "Besides, Kaiba is paranoid. The building is built like a fortress. There are titanium bars surrounding the island underwater. Not even a submarine or divers can get in. Even for a Horseman of Apocalypse, nothing short of blowing up the place at point blank range would have done it. It seems that wasn't the intruder's aim. He seemed to want to go for something a little more subtle, and so he disabled the system instead."
"The kind of information he would have needed for that…" groaned Eizan. "Passwords, identification codes, security clearance… I can't think of very many people besides Seto Kaiba himself who would have had that kind of information."
"It had to have been an inside job. Someone working for Kaiba must have provided him with that information."
There was a momentary silence on the line. He heard Kaiba's right-hand man, Roland, pleading with Rikuo to stay calm in the background. "Please, Mr. Amero, we don't even know where the intruder is! It makes no sense for you to go after him right now. When we find out his location, you may assist in his capture."
"Damn it, I haven't snapped a neck in years. Let me out of this damn hole!"
Eizan spoke up again. "That means the traitor has to be in the building with you."
"We can trust no one, then," said Sarah, her voice quivering. "Amero, the other demon, and the other two or three duelists there are fine. I asked Kaiba for complete details of all the other people in the building, so you can trust them. But no one else, not the guards, not the janitors, not the damn chefs can know what's going on. Create another loop, Sarah. One in which only the seven of you are present. Just because this person chose to disable things like Kaiba's underwater barriers instead of destroying it doesn't mean he's not capable of doing so."
"Yes, sir," she breathed.
Eizan clicked off his phone. After a moment, he slammed his fist into the car door and swore. Neither the driver nor the guard reacted.
The car had already left the airfield. Typically, it would take him at least ninety minutes to arrive at the harbor in New York traffic. He would take reinforcements to Kaiba's tower.
"What have I done?" he wondered, momentarily. With that, he looked back at his phone, and dialed another number.
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"This… This is not possible," breathed Jason. "All that treatment, those drugs…. You are dead."
The other Jason sneered. "No, Jason. I am alive."
"What do you want?" spat Jason. His head was spinning. "I must be hallucinating… It's probably the after-effects of Necropolis. Maybe the Abyss is playing some tricks on me…."
"I'm here to stay, Jason," said the other, taking another step towards him. "I can't say that all that treatment, those drugs… I can't say I enjoyed it either. And I don't appreciate that, Jason. I really don't. Me, the one who has done more for you than any of those pathetic excuses for humans ever did… And you tried to get rid of me."
Jason's eyes widened, and he lashed out. His fist caught the other Jason's cheek, throwing him to the ground.
"Get the hell away from me…" he whispered, his breath ragged.
The other Jason stood up. A trickle of blood was coming down his lip. He didn't seem to notice it at all.
"You will never get rid of me, Jason… I am you."
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"This is poetic justice, as I see it," murmured Garlin, as he walked towards Daniel, who stood up, glaring at the Torture King.
"I will take from Rikuo Amero the person that is most important to him at the very place he took my life."
Before Daniel could react, he lashed out with incredible strength and speed. The blow caught Daniel off guard, causing him to stagger off his feet. It left a large cut on his lip.
"I don't get it," growled Daniel. "While Rikuo fought Sestros… You told me that you hated him."
"Whoever said Sestros had anything to do with this?" laughed Garlin again. "When Rikuo and the Pharaoh dueled him at the end of the Shadow Tournament, my life was taken in the process. I may be evil, Daniel, I may have killed a lot of people in my time, but the experience of being forced out of the realm was too much for an innocent man."
"But our duel…" Daniel narrowed his eyes. "You lying son of a-…"
"That, if you may remember, was not me," replied Garlin. "That was a piece of my soul that latched onto your mind and began to inhabit it. It existed independently from the rest of my being. So that part of my soul failed to take control of your body, do you think I would not stop at another opportunity?"
"Try all you want…" growled Daniel. "You're sure as hell not coming back to Earth in my body." Without warning, he sprung forward. His fist slammed into Garlin's chest, causing him to double over in pain. He spun around on his heel and dealt the man a powerful roundhouse kick to the head. Garlin's head jerked back, as he took a step back in pain.
"I thought perhaps you weren't all that of a whiny loser," spat the duelist. "It seems I was wrong."
He lashed out again with his fist. Garlin's head had been hanging low prior to this, but he snapped it upwards at lighting speed, and caught Daniel's fist in his palm. The redhead's eyes widened as he tried to pull it away. The Torture King's grasp was too strong.
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"You are not me…" whispered Jason. "This is a dream, I've gotten rid of you. Your return is not logically possible."
"I am no dream, Jason," replied his mirror image. He seemed to de-materialize suddenly, and appeared once more in front of Jason. Actually, it was merely the incredible speed at which he was moving. His fist slammed into Jason's chest, knocking the wind out of him and throwing him to the ground. "I am a nightmare."
Before Jason could stand up again, the other man's powerful foot caught him on the head in a brutal roundhouse kick. It knocked him against a tree.
"You are truly pathetic, Jason. The kind of power you've turned down, over and over and over again…. Choosing instead to associate yourself with those lowly fools… I can't stand it. Our body is mine as well. How do you expect me to stand by and watch while you continue to act like a selfish fool, instead of letting me take control and gain the power that Eagle has kept behind locked doors for so long…"
He lashed out one more time. This time, Jason caught his fist in his palm. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about," he growled. "And I don't care, because dream or nightmare, you don't exist, and therefore whatever you are telling me cannot be true in any way."
He snapped his head forward, head butting his mirror image in the head, knocking him backwards. He tried to follow it up with a kick, but his foot was caught in mid-air and twisted, knocking him off his feet. He found his opponent leaning over him, his fingers closing in around his throat. "I have desired this for so long…." he whispered.
Jason began to feel his air passage constricted. He began to lash out blindly with his fists. The other Jason's jaws tightened grimly, for the punches felt like burning brands on his body. But he continued to strangle his opponent mercilessly.
As Jason's vision began fading, he suddenly noticed that his opponent was not his mirror image. He had red hair… Bright red hair, with ears. The reason his punches were having no effect on his assailant was because of his demonic nature. He was staring at Daniel Pilkington.
"Daniel…" he gasped. "I'm Jason…"
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Daniel had reeled away from a lone headbutt from Garlin, and then knocked him to the floor. He had no qualms about ending this sick man's life once and for all. He hated the thought of murder, but Giovan Garlin was an insult to humanity. This had to end once and for all.
Suddenly, as he continued to squeeze his victim's throat, he heard a dry cough. It sounded like a constructed sentence, but he ignored it. There was another one.
"I'm Jason…"
Reflexively, he loosened his grip. How on Earth would Garlin know about the Eagle agent, even if he was lying?
The person he was strangling broke free and hit him in the jaw with a massive uppercut. It threw him off his feet, throwing him five feet away. He hit the ground hard, with a groan.
"What the… What the hell was that?" gasped the voice of Jason Becker.
Daniel stood up and looked around him. He was no longer in the private chambers of Giovan Garlin. Their surroundings now resembled a war-torn battlefield. The soil underneath them was gray and infertile, with patches of grass growing here and there. The air was musty and cold. However, the most shocking part was that the sun was partially covered in a solar eclipse. A black disc was moving across it slowly.
"I don't know… I was fighting someone else, and then suddenly he turned into you," replied Daniel, looking around. "I was somewhere else, too…"
"Someone I knew…. He was strangling me in another place," recalled Jason darkly. "Then I realized it was you."
"If you knew it was me, what was with that uppercut?" growled Daniel, rubbing his jaw.
"I apologize. But my air supply was dwindling fast, and I needed to breath immediatley. I was unsure of your identity at that point," shrugged Jason.
"Well, whatever the he-…." He paused mid-sentence.
The entire field was littered with corpses. Each one of them was gruesomely mutilated, with a large number of the dead bodies missing legs, hands, or even heads. Some bodies had been misshappenly ripped apart in a random manner, with blood and other fluids leaking out all over the field. A few even had various kinds of weapons still stuck in them.
Daniel felt bile rising in his throat. "This is some unbelievable crap…."
Jason kept his eyes fixed on the gruesome sight. "Who could have done this?"
Daniel had no answer to him. Many of the dead were women and children. This was nothing short of genocide.
As he turned away from the endless expanse of dead bodies, he noticed a small, whimpering figure sitting against a rock, hardly twenty feet from them. He crossed the distance quickly, and to his shock realized it was a girl, barely six years old. She was wrapped in a rough jute cloth, under which she wore a simple dress. Her skin was pale and her eyes wide with terror.
Daniel placed a comforting arm on her shoulder. "What… What happened here?"
She screamed out in fright, and stood up. Before Daniel could react, she began to run as fast as she could. Before Jason could even move to intercept her, she tripped over a stone and fell to the ground. She began to cry.
Daniel ran over to her, and quickly checked to see if she was injured. He placed his hand on her hair again, trying to comfort her.
"Don't worry… No one is going to hurt you." She didn't argue this time as he picked her up. Jason watched impassively.
"I swear, I won't let anything happen to you."
He got nothing but a sob in response. "What's your name?"
"C-…Carla."
"What happened here, Carla?" murmured Daniel.
"They… They killed my parents," whispered the toddler. "Who? Who's they?" pressed Daniel.
She closed her eyes tight and shook her head in fright.
"I'm they," came a deep voice from across the wasteland. There was a tall, gaunt figure standing there, with a very broad frame. He was dressed in a heavy brown jacket with black jeans. His skin had an unhealthy, greenish tinge to it, with long, spiky hair.
"I recognize you…." murmured Jason. "A former employee of Maximillion Pegasus. I saw your picture in the list of eliminators during Duelist Kingdom."
"You're getting warmer…."
"A duel with Yugi Moto caused your downfall," continued Jason. "You were banished to the Shadow Realm."
The giant man clenched his fist maliciously. "And it was that very banishment that gave me the kind of power that my former master could never have even dreamed of… The power to inhabit the nightmares of others."
Jason frowned. "You seem to enjoy using this power of yours… Panik."
The former eliminator grinned. "I was wondering when you would begin to understand who I was."
Daniel narrowed his eyes. "What is this guy talking about?"
"He was formerly an employee of Pegasus, until he was banished to the Shadow Realm by the Pharaoh Yami," replied Jason, keeping his eyes fixed on the nightmarish man. "That was seven years ago. I do not know how he has found us here, but I can assure you of this. Panik is a dangerous man."
"Dangerous would be an understatement…" murmured Panik, raising one of his skeletal hands. A swirl of black fire appeared in it.
"The power to bring the nightmares of others to life is possibly the best weapon one can possess."
"It was you…" whispered Daniel, placing a protective arm over Carla."
"Kilomet Sestros…. Whatever you may say, Daniel Pilkington, I know he visits you in your darkest dreams. You are terrified of him. Possibly the same way in which Becker here is terrified of-…"
Jason cut him off. "I do not have time to listen to your nonsense."
"Oh, we have all the time in the world," replied Panik smoothly. "Once I was banished to the Shadow Realm, I was surprised to find that instead of having the shadows feed off me, I began to absorb certain elements of them. I gained some truly terrifying power, but in return I sacrificed my material form. I now exist as merely a ghost, a shadow of my former self. I am now able to enter the minds of others, bringing what they fear most to life. But I have received little in return…. Even I cannot survive only off the fear of others."
Daniel looked around him. "All these dead people… It's what she fears the most. Her mother, her father… This guy is one sick freak."
"The nightmares that I generate are not ordinary ones. The milder ones can be described as merely strangely realistic. But the truly horrific ones can ensure that one will never, ever wake up…." He trailed off with an evil laugh.
"Take little Carla, for example. I chanced upon her mental presence in a small neighborhood, tucked away deeply in the midwest United States. At the age of five, she cannot comprehend life without her parents. When she went to bed that night, I don't think she could have ever imagined that scenario becoming a reality…."
Jason glared at Panik.
"Your sadism is rather pathetic. Preying upon helpless children…."
Panik roared and took a step forward. He lashed out with a giant fist. Jason rolled away from the punch, and reflexively head butted the former eliminator in the face. Suddenly, he felt a bolt of black electricity coursing through him. He grunted in pain as he was thrown backwards.
Panik scowled. "I told you that my tenor in the Shadow Realm has given me certain powers…."
Jason stood up. Daniel put Carla down, and raised his hands. The claws that were not usually visible on his hands unfolded. His eyes began to turn a light red.
"Fighting me will get you nowhere," chuckled Panik. "I can leave this nightmare anytime I wish. You, on the other hand, were directed here by the strange magic which governs the Abyss. In this realm, you cannot proceed forth unless you accomplish whatever task has been set for you, which, in this case, is namely defeating me. The result of your victory or defeat may be anything, as this realm is governed by Chaos himself. I have had the personal experience of dealing with his extension, Schrodinger, who is no doubt challenging any of your friends who may have entered the Abyss as well. You are truly unlucky that you ran into a true, corporeal entity such as myself, rather than that falsifying fool."
Jason said nothing, but a frown began to grow on his face.
"So what happens if you are defeated?"
"Anything is possible, you fool," replied Panik. "You may proceed forth whether you win or lose, that will only be determined by Chaos once the duel ends. Either of our defeats may mean nothing. Don't you understand? Nothing can happen until the duel ends. You may choose not to duel me, and you will remain in this girl's nightmare forever, as the Abyss will not do anything if you do not co-operate with the challenges set down."
"But why would you care about dueling us, in any case?" replied Daniel. "You could just escape and go to some other child's nightmare, like the pathetic piece of crap that you are."
Panik smirked evilly. He pointed at Daniel. "That's why."
Daniel looked down instinctively. "For long, I have wanted to return to Earth in a suitable body and seek my revenge on the Pharaoh. I challenge you now… For control of your body. If you win, you will possibly be able to expel me from the girl's nightmare, and move forward. Your defeat, however, will result in the destruction of your mind, meaning I can finally gain a physical form."
"So that's what you're after…" growled Daniel, raising his arm. "You'll never return to Earth, neither in my body nor anyone else's…."
"That is because I am going to bring an end to this right now," growled Jason. He pulled his Duel Disk out of his jacket, and put it on. "Stay with the child, Daniel. I will deal with this."
A black Duel Disk flashed into existence on Panik's wrist.
"I shall enjoy the feeling of extinguishing your mind," breathed Panik.
"Keep dreaming," replied Jason.
(Jason: 8000, Panik: 8000)
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Siegfried shivered as he drew. He could feel Sylar's cold gaze on him the entire time. He stopped himself from falling to his knees, but winced heavily from the effect of the dead Yormungarde. Unless he drew Blade Knight soon, he would lose the duel in five more turns whether or not Sylar inflicted damage otherwise.
(Siegfried: 2000, Sylar: 8000)
"I set one monster facedown in defense mode," breathed Siegfried, "and set one card facedown. I end my turn." The Third Horseman didn't even notice the two brown-backed cards.
Sylar drew.
"I summon Cyber Venom – Iron Cobra (1700/1200) in attack mode."
The unnaturally large cobra with segments of its body replaced by wire laden mechanical segments that contracted and expanded like accordions. One of its eyes was replaced by a metal sphere with a glowing red optic slit that shone brightly as its hood, now made of interlocking metal plates that fanned out ending in saw like serrations. The initials 'CV' had been branded onto the flaps of its hood one letter on each side.
"Iron Cobra may attack you directly at the cost of a single card from my hand."
Siegfried's eyes widened as the snake slithered across the field faster than the eye could see, and entangled him within its coils in seconds. He stifled a roar of pain as its jaws closed in on his shoulder. His arms flailed wildly, trying to push the snake off, but it was to no avail. Finally he felt the jaws unclench. He exhaled as the snake slithered off him, silently closing his eyes.
(Siegfried: 300, Sylar: 8000)
"Now, Acid Lizard attacks your facedown monster."
The reptile pounced on the facedown card image, which flipped up to reveal a huge tiger with a very undefined body. It seemed like he was completely made up of blue gas, which had somehow been molded into the form of a large cat. It had crimson eyes, with sharp claws on every limb. It roared out loud at the attacking monster, and slashed forward with its claws, knocking the creature backwards.
"Soul Tiger (0/2100) seems a little too strong for you." The Acid Lizard landed cleanly on its feet back on Tristan's field, hissing furiously.
(Siegfried: 300, Sylar: 7900)
Sylar raised an eyebrow. "Impressive. You actually dealt me damage. Perhaps this duel will not be a repeat of the one with Serenity…"
"Mechadilus attacks."
The crocodilian warrior raised its arms, which began to whir as the pair of flamethrowers ignited. A splash of black flames erupted out onto Siegfried's field, consuming the Soul Tiger within seconds. The unfortunate mammal roared out in agony as the flames burned away his skin molecule by molecule. Soon, nothing but a charred corpse remained on Siegfried's field. It disappeared after a moment.
"My turn ends here. Now, if you do not draw Blade Knight, this pretense of a duel will follow."
Siegfried looked down at his deck. He had thirty-one cards remaining in his deck. That meant his chances of drawing Blade Knight were 3.23%. Low, by any standards. Which was why he had left a certain card facedown as insurance.
Sylar watched the Demon Lord impassively as he smoothly picked his next card off his deck. He did not show any emotion.
However, at that moment, he fell to his knees, retching in pain. Sylar did not seem capable of smiling, even faintly, but this would have been an appropriate moment to do so.
"You did not draw Blade Knight. Neo Yormungarde's effect has finished you off."
"Not… quite." Sylar looked at the life-point counter, and his eyes widened in shock. "This is not possible!"
(Siegfried: 700, Sylar: 7900)
"I activated my facedown quickplay spell card, Surprise Assault. I may special summon one monster from my hand whose defense points are lower than that of one normal monster that was destroyed in battle on my previous turn. I choose Prime Material Dragon (2400/2000) in attack mode."
Yellow fires engulfed the misty field, blinding the two duelists. Within the midst of the flames seemed to be a six-winged, yellow dragon. It had a slender, glittering body and two-pronged claws. A sharp, orange-eyed glare originated from the beak-like face of the dragon, which had spike-shaped ears.
"You have yet to explain how you survived that damage," growled Sylar.
"The effect of Prime Material Dragon is that any damage that would be dealt to a player is converted into life-point gain," replied Siegfried coldly. "Simply put, as long as Prime Material Dragon remains in play, and I do not draw Blade Knight, the effect of your Neo Yormungarde continues to increase my life-points by four hundred ever turn."
"Your Prime Material Dragon will not survive long enough to alter the path upon which this duel is on significantly," said the Horseman icily.
"At the moment, it seems all set to do so," snapped back Siegfried. "Prime Material Dragon attacks Cyber Venom Mechadilus."
Siegfried's newest monster unfurled its wings, and took off into the darkness. It shot across the field, gathering momentum as it went, while a wave of yellow energy built up all around it. It slammed right into the crocodilian soldier, which attacked immediatley by unleashing a wave of fire from its flamethrowers. The flames slammed into the surrounding energy, but seemed unable to penetrate; leaving the dragon largely unharmed as it continued on and ripped the mechanized reptile apart.
Sylar watched silently as the remains of the destroyed monster fell to the ground in a mess of wreckage and fluids.
(Siegfried: 700, Sylar: 7700)
"I set one card facedown and end my turn," said Siegfried confidently.
"Under normal circumstances, your defiance would have irked me further," said Sylar in a monotone as he drew, increasing his hand size to four.
"But you were foolish to leave Cyber Venom – Iron Cobra in play. I discard Repayment of Losses, enabling it to attack you directly."
He slid one card into his graveyard, and did not even bother to draw a new one as the mechanized serpent hissed, tensed its coils, and sprung forward. Siegfried watched impassively as it avoided the Prime Material Dragon in its path by twisting its coils away. Just as it was about to latch onto his shoulder one more time, he tapped a button on his Duel Disk.
"Command Silencer, activate. Your attack is negated, while I draw one card."
A towering totem pole appeared over the field, sending out waves of energy in all directions. The reptilian beast froze in the air, and its metallic parts began vibrating. As if by an invisible force, it was plucked out of the air and thrown across the field. It slammed into the ground. Sylar glared coldly at it as it hissed venomously back at Siegfried, wriggling back into a crouch.
Siegfried looked over at Cyber Venom – Acid Lizard (2100/1800). It hissed viciously at him, as acid continued to drip from its teeth. It was, however, to weak to challenge Prime Material Dragon. He took satisfaction in the fact that his plans could go uninterrupted, at least for the moment.
Sylar seemed to be fuming inwardly, but he did not show any outward anger. "I add a facedown card. Take your meaningless turn."
Siegfried drew, and merely smiled faintly as the power of Prime Material Dragon ensured that the fact he had not drawn Blade Knight yet remained a boon, and not a curse.
(Siegfried: 1500, Sylar: 7700)
"I summon Gene-Warped Warwolf (2000/100) in attack mode," declared Siegfried.
A large, white werewolf rose to the field. It had a snarling, devious look on its face, shooting out a stare of impatience with its black eyes. However, it still remained nowhere near as terrifying as the mechanical reptiles of death that populated its master's opponent's field.
"Prime Material Dragon, attack his Acid Lizard!"
The dragon bounded forward, snapping and snarling as it went. The reptile screeched back at it. Sylar, meanwhile, remained emotionless as usual as he watched the exchange. Just as the mythical creature was about to reach his monster, he tapped a button on his Duel Disk.
"I activate the facedown card Zero Gazer. This will reduce the attack points of my monster to zero."
Siegfried looked up, startled, as his dragon continued on and slammed its head into the reptile. It ripped the creature apart, continuing on into the darkness and illuminating their surroundings momentarily with its aura. Siegfried spared a glance for the fallen bodies of Joey and Serenity Wheeler. The both of them were unmoving. He knew they were not dead yet, but in his subconscious mind, he found that hard to believe.
"I am trying, Joseph. I am trying to save you from this madman."
(Siegfried: 1500, Sylar: 5300)
Sylar, for the first time, had expressed a bit of discomfort during the duel. The aftershock of the attack had incited a low grunt from him, as well as a slight clenching of his teeth. But otherwise, he made no reaction to an attack that would have brought even Siegfried to his knees in this kind of Shadow Game.
"Foolish," breathed Sylar. "Very foolish. Damage = Reptile, activate."
A gigantic blue lizard-like creature seemed to literally jumped out of the darkness and landed on Sylar's field. Its sapphire scales were bristling wildly, while buzzsaws were attached to either side of its jaws, and feet mounted on spiked treadmills. Smoke stacks were attached to either side of its chest, billowing smog, while a double-sided axe was fixed to the end of its waving tail. It hissed softly, making Siegfried more uneasy.
"When a reptile monster is destroyed in battle, Damage = Reptile allows me to special summon from my deck a reptile monster with attack points equal or less than the damage dealt to me. Therefore, I call Cyber Venom – Overlord of the Land and Sea (2400/2400)."
Siegfried frowned at the new arrival. It was easily the strongest monster summoned by Sylar up until that point, and the trouble was that it looked the part as well. He decided to ignore its presence for the moment, as it was just about as strong as his Prime Material Dragon.
"Gene-Warped Warwolf attacks Cyber Venom – Iron Cobra. Rid me of its presence for good."
The werewolf charged forward, snarling and snapping as it did so. The mechanical cobra hissed back and tensed its coils, springing forward towards the oncoming wolf. It entrapped its head within its metallic coils, thrashing wildly in an attempt to asphyxiate the humanoid creature to death. But the wolf remained stronger, and with great effort ripped the thrashing creature of its body, throwing it to the ground and attacking it wildly with its gigantic paws. Within moments, the metallic body of the Iron Cobra was in ruins, with the spark of life inside it having been completely extinguished.
(Siegfried: 1500, Sylar: 5000)
"I set one card facedown and end my turn."
The Horseman glanced over at Joey's prone body. He hissed softly – Siegfried did not know whether it was to himself or one of his serpents – and another snake slithered softly over Joey's body. Sylar increased his hand size to three, and looked back at the field.
"My Overlord targets your Gene-Warped Warwolf."
The mechanized lizard screeched and opened its mouth as the saws on either side began to whir at a ridiculously high frequency. Its razor sharp teeth glinted momentarily, before finally a wave of black energy erupted out in the direction of the werewolf. The strongest level four normal monster in the game stood its ground bravely, smacking at the oncoming energy with all its might, trying to bat it away. However, it was in vain, for soon it was completely consumed, leaving nothing but a pile of ashes in its place.
(Siegfried: 1100, Sylar: 5000)
Siegfried felt a sharp pain in his gut as the black energy faded. He tried to ignore it, looking over instead at Joey and Serenity.
"When Overlord of the Land and Sea destroys a monster in battle, it gains two hundred attack points."
The mechanized beast (2600/2400) snarled once more.
"Now it is stronger than Prime Material Dragon…."
"I set a card and end my turn."
Siegfried drew slowly.
(Siegfried: 1500, Sylar: 5000)
"I switch Prime Material Dragon to defense mode and end my turn." He truly wished he could do more, but playing it safe made the most sense at the moment. He still had a mountain to climb, for Sylar had a lead of three and a half thousand life-points.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"This is better than we could have expected, Master…" murmured Blight as he looked on into the floating sphere and the scene that was unfolding within it.
Apocalypse did not reply. His stone-cold crimson eyes merely seemed to penetrate the duel between Siegfried and Sylar deeper than he possibly could from such a distance. The cold air in the throne-room around them was filled with tension.
"We knew not whether Sylar would adapt to his new role… And come to terms with his desire for vengeance and hatred. But he has done so, Master, and the result is more spectacular than I could have possibly imagined. Sylar is a monster, a creature devoid of a heart and soul. They were ripped from him by the actions of his former friends, and after you granted him the necessary power, he is the perfect killing machine. He would take his own life if you ordered him to, Master."
Apocalypse glanced at Blight for a moment, before returning his gaze to the duel.
"Sylar is a valuable asset. His use of the cards created for him is impressive. I believe not one of our foes could match him in this game of skill, primitive though it may be. You, Blight, are finesse. Haou is cold-blooded calculation. But Sylar… He is a unique Horseman. He is the epitome of cold blooded murder and destruction."
Blight stared on into the duel with a look of awe that almost suggested a touch of fear towards the unstoppable force of destruction that was present in front of him. But the truth was simple. Being a force of destruction himself, Blight appreciated such an amazing force more than anyone, barring his own master. He knew Sylar was truly a wonder… The Third Horseman was the Devil himself.
"I must move on, Blight. I need to establish the final member."
Blight looked back at his master, surprised. "The Fourth Horseman? Master, I assumed that you would not require a Fourth, considering the incredible success that Sylar has been."
Apocalypse fixed him with a cold stare. "You are foolish, Blight. It seems you have not forgotten your recent brush with Death."
His voice was scornful and cold.
Blight pursed his lips and looked down at the ground. "Master…"
"Blight, Haou and Sylar… An ungodly powerful triumvirate to lead my legions in the war against the Council. I may even go so far as saying the three of you combined would be enough to face all my enemies barring the Council. But to be that presumptuous borders on foolishness. The Council remains, and as your confrontation with Death proved, none of the three of you are even close to the Council members in power. I need one more element to complete my forces: a more human element."
"I do not understand you, Master," frowned Blight.
"I would not expect you to. You yourself are a being of destructive energy, and cannot hope to comprehend the subtleties of this race. But as a former member of the Council, I had fleeting insights into the complexities of other members. From my glimpses into the workings of Life and Creation, I realized that humans are a far more intricate race than I could understand. The Pharaoh and his allies may prove to be a bigger problem then I anticipated. Having a being on my side who is like them, who thinks like them… Who understands them… That would be an advantage indeed."
Blight bowed.
"The Fourth Horseman can wait. Momentarily, we may enjoy the cold, destructive might of the Third."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Yami and Yugi watched grimly as the trio of elemental beasts began to disappear into towers of gigantic energy. The towers began to swirl together to form a gigantic amalgam of elemental flames of various colors. It expanded in size until it cast a shadow over the entire room, and nearly reached the ceiling. Slowly, the flames began to fade, exposing a huge creature.
It seemed to be a combination of the three deities that preceded it. Its body was composed of three parts, with the topmost section being the chest, arms, and head of Sanga of the Thunder. Its torso was the green, sphere-like shape of Kazejin, upon which Sanga was balanced precariously. Kazejin himself was nestled in a groove above the body of the water lord, Suijin, which made up the legs of the great beast. The three roared simultaneously, and Yami and Yugi almost felt the ground tremble beneath their feet (3750/3400).
"Gate Guardian…" murmured Yugi, not taking his eyes off the monstrosity. Their previous experience with it had not been pleasant.
"Your end is nigh…" breathed Dox. "Gate Guardian, annihilate the Pharaoh's Dark Magician!"
The three-parted creature roared out in triumph as its upmost section raised its arms. In between its hands, a ball of lightning began to appear. It spread its arms wide and let the swirling ball of energy lose. The sphere raced towards Yami's mage, who merely watched on impassively.
Yugi tapped a button on his Duel Disk, behind one of his two facedown cards. "I activate Testament of the Shadows! This trap card reduces all battle damage to dark-attribute monsters during this turn to zero, and I can draw one card for every attack against dark attribute monsters."
The Dark Magician raised his staff slowly, and a void seemed to erupt from out of nowhere in front of him. Its powerful suction force attracted the thunder ball towards it, and within moments, it had been well and truly absorbed into the abyss. The void closed, disappearing into nothingness.
Para looked outraged. "Nothing good can come out of such cheek!"
Dox was equally enraged. "I agree, brother! Let us show them why hiding is only for the weak!"
"Are you finished?" growled Yami.
Para looked a lot less complacent about the power of his monster when he noticed the expressionless looks on the faces of Yami and Yugi. Evidently, thirty-seven hundred and fifty attack points didn't seem like much to them.
"I end my turn."
Yami drew calmly. "I sacrifice Dark Magician as well as Dark Magician Girl to call upon one of my most powerful spellcasters… The Sorcerer of Dark Magic (3200/2800)!"
Both mages vanished in a flash, but was quickly replaced by a more powerful mage. He wore black body armor that covered a majority of his body, except his muscular arms. He had a set of mages robes on over top the armor that were an odd color of blue. On his back, a black cape reached to his feet. A strange set of shoulder pads and a stranger spike like structure rose behind his head. Also, a black hat covered his head, revealing his blue eyes and face, with a little of his blonde hair, only. His hands were covered in black gloves, and in his right hand was a powerful staff. It was green with a tri-pitch fork like design, with a small blue sphere in the center.
"An impressive monster indeed…" quipped Para.
"But to our warnings, you pay no heed!" added Dox.
"Strong though your sorcerer may be," continued Para.
"Our Gate Guardian is far more powerful than he!" finished Dox.
As if to emphasize their words, the gigantic creature roared loudly. Yami and Yugi looked on unmovingly.
"I can't attack Dox directly while Para has a monster on the field. I'll just play it safe right now… Very soon, I'll be able to go in for the kill."
"I set a card facedown and end my turn."
Dox drew enthusiastically. "I will merely set this one card facedown, and end my turn. When Para's turn comes, he will unleash the destructive wrath of the Gate Guardian upon your pathetic monsters, ensuring you never forget our might!"
"You're awfully confident for a guy who has five hundred life-points left," remarked Yugi, drawing two cards, as a benefit of his Mercenary's effect.
"I summon Twilight Shadow Blade Sentinel (1900/1300) in attack mode." His newest monster was a knight dressed in a futuristic suit of armor. The suit of armor war metallic-toned, with dark-red metallic shoulder pads and designs all about it, down the arms and down the legs. The gloves were red and dark, silver metallic-colored, with extendible, pink beam swords on the tops of them. It had shining boots as well, and a helmet covered its head with a grille that extended down its face.
"I add two facedown cards and end my turn."
He allowed himself a faint smile. He couldn't wait to see the look on the Paradox brother's faces when they realized what he was going to do…
Para drew, and crowed in triumph. "That was a foolish move, Yugi! Now, I use my Gate Guardian to attack Twilight Shadow Blade Sentinel!"
Yugi grinned as the gigantic beast raised its arms once more, charging up a ball of lightning. The timing required for his next move had to be impeccable.
"I activate De-Fusion, to split Twilight Shadow Swordmaster back into Soldier (1600/1200) and Shield Guardian (200/2200)!"
The winged warrior began to glow, and quickly transformed into a sphere of light. The sphere split into two, and the two smaller spheres transformed into the well-built, armored man wielding a broadsword, and the mechanical looking being that carried an energy powered shield. Yugi's field was now completely full.
"It matters not, for your Blade Sentinel is finished anyway!"
"Not unless I take away your option of selecting him as a target!" fired back Yugi, tapping another button on his Duel Disk.
"I activate Twilight Fusion! This trap card can be used to fuse Twilight Shadows in my hand or field to special summon a fusion monster at any time. So I'm fusing Soldier, Blade Sentinel, and Mercenary, to summon Twilight Shadow – Special Operative Solid Snake (2400/2400)!"
The three men each erupted into spheres of light and slammed into each other at the same time. This caused a wave of blinding energy to rise over Yugi's field. The Gate Guardian unleashed its attack, but it was absorbed by the wall of bright light, which now impaired the vision of all four duelists. It continued growing, until it would have put Troy to shame, and finally began to recede a little. After about thirty seconds, it faded, to leave a single man on Yugi's field, flanked by the Steel General and Shield Guardian.
He stood about six and a half feet tall, and was dressed in aging silver armor. It was torn in a few places. A similar, scratched helmet covered his head, with the visor shut. He wore black gloves on both hands, which had the ends of each finger cut off, exposing his nails. A heavy utility belt was clipped to its waste. On either side of the belt was a futuristic blaster. Slowly, the man lifted his visor to reveal a rugged, scarred face. His eyes were a hard-gray, and he had a little brownish-gray stubble on his cheeks.
Yami looked at Yugi's newest monster respectfully, while his hikari regarded it with a sort of appreciative affection.
"You fused three monsters to summon one with just twenty-four hundred attack points?" ridiculed Dox.
Yugi glared at him. "When you find out what Solid Snake can do, I'm sure you'll change your time. I'll give you a taste of that with the effect that activates the moment he is summoned: one monster on your field is immediatley rendered useless, unable to attack, or switch its battle position, as long as Solid Snake is in play."
Para's eyes widened in shock as the special operative pulled out one of his blasters, and aimed it at the Gate Guardian's legs. He fired, but instead of a bullet or blast, a long length of cable snapped outwards, looping itself around the giant's right foot. The Guardian turned to look at Snake, but he had already began running towards a pillar on his right, looping the cable around it. Para and Dox's ace monster fired out a sphere of white energy at him. He effortlessly dodged it looping the cable around another pillar.
The knot around the Guardian's feet was growing tighter by the minute. It desperately tried to target Snake, but he triumphantly leapt around a fourth pillar, and slammed his gun down onto a bracket on it. He had judged the angles and tension perfectly. The towering Guardian overbalanced, falling to its knees and sending up a huge cloud of dust. When it cleared, the three-parted creature was seen strewn on the floor of the temple, immobile.
Para panicked. "This is impossible! He has rendered our great beast useless!"
"We must act fast, or otherwise, they will continue with this boldness!" countered Dox, looking equally frustrated.
Para scowled and set a facedown card. With that, he ended his turn.
Yami drew, and glanced over at Yugi, who nodded.
"It's time for your Gate Guardian to fall… And believe me when I say its stay on the field was not short enough! Sorcerer of Dark Magic, destroy it with Celestial Blast!"
The magician looked at the fallen Guardian gravely, and snapped his staff around. The edge of it glowed red, and a pulsing wave of scarlet flames erupted from it, blazing across the field and slamming into the Gate Guardian.
"Despite its limitations, our Guardian is still stronger!" snarled Dox.
Yugi smiled ruefully, and tapped a button on his Duel Disk. The brothers almost balked on seeing the name of the card he had activated… Rush Recklessly.
"Now, Sorcerer of Dark Magic (3900/2800) is more than strong enough to finish your monster off!" declared Yami.
The Paradox brothers watched grimly as the gigantic monster was consumed by the sorcerer's flames almost completely. It began to burn away slowly, and within moments, a gigantic pile of ashes, as high as the sorcerer himself, was all that remained on either of the Paradox brother's fields.
(Dox: 500, Yugi: 8000, Para: 5850, Yami: 8000)
Yami grinned. "Now, the Tricky will attack Dox dire-…" He paused upon noticing the freaky grins on the faces of both men.
"What're you so happy about?" he said suspiciously. They laughed simultaneously.
"When Gate Guardian was destroyed-…" muttered Para.
"You unleashed a far greater power of the Void," complemented Dox.
Yami narrowed his eyes. What were they talking about?
"I activate my facedown Dark Element!" boomed Para.
"By paying half his life-points, Para will now unleash the most powerful monster we can summon together!" continued Dox.
Appearing on their fields was the dark silhouette of the Gate Guardian. It began to turn black, with tiny pieces of its body flying off and disappearing into nothingness. As its body began to disappear further, their fields were consumed by crimson light. Yugi and Yami threw up their hands against the sickly blinding streaks of color, until finally; a terrifying shape loomed over them.
It was a tall, muscled human, clad in crimson armor from the torso up. It wore black gauntlets, covering most of its oily green skin between the two. It had a shogun-like helmet clapped over its head, while the bottom of the new creature's torso was attached to a giant, spider-like extension, with all eight legs being represented by shining metallic spikes. In its right hand it clutched a giant axe.
"Meet our Dark Guardian (3800/3450)!" roared the brothers simultaneously.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Panik drew aggressively. "Duel wisely, young Jason. Little Carla's life hangs in the balance."
"I do not need to be told what I need to do," replied Jason softly.
Panik shrugged. "Very well. I summon Dark Lucius LV4 (1000/300) in attack mode." A dark-looking creature, not looking too human, in a metal-like mask. It also wore a metal chest plate, and had dark-gray and gray armor on the rest of itself minus the arms. It had thick, gray, metal gloves as well as some metal knee pads. It had a dark, red, blood-like mouth and eyes, with spikes sticking out of the shoulder blades and head. Some dark-blue hair stuck through the top of its head as well.
"I will then set one card facedown and end my turn," he finished, a sadistic look on his face.
Jason drew calmly, his eyes never leaving Panik's.
"I summon Psychic Snail (1900/1200) in attack mode," he declared. A giant, slimy snail appeared on Jason's field. Its shell was brown, with glowing yellow diamonds embedded in it at random intervals. Its back was a light blue in color, while the torso was a slightly lighter brown than the shell. The shell was connected to its torso by a long flap of lose skin, while muscular arms stretched out in front of it. It eyes were deep, yellow orbs.
"Had it not been for the kind of monsters you use, the shadows would have devoured you long ago," growled Panik.
Jason ignored him. "Now, Psychic Snail attacks Dark Lucius LV4."
The feelers of the humanoid snail shone, and bolts of crackling electricity shot out towards Panik's demonic creature. Lucius' eyes shot wide open, and he raised his palms in defense. Black energy shot out to meet the electric blast from Jason's Psychic, but it was immediatley evident the snail would be victorious.
Panik grinned. "I activate my facedown card, Illusion of Demise."
Lucius immediatley ceased his attack, and the electric bolt shot forward, frying him. However, instead of crumbling into ashes, he just disappeared into thin air, leaving not a trace behind him.
"Illusion of Demise allows me to pay five hundred life-points, in exchange for which my field is obscured with darkness, and Dark Lucius is… temporarily removed from play. He will be back soon, however, and until then, my trap card prevents you from dealing me battle damage during this turn."
(Panik: 7500, Jason: 8000)
A flood of darkness erupted out of nowhere, and engulfed the two duelists as well as their audience. No one besides Daniel seemed to notice Carla's whimpers. Panik was completely obscured by a towering wall of blackness right now. Only his shady, deep laugh could be heard from within it.
Jason ignored the taunting chuckles of his opponent, and extracted two more cards from his hand. "I set these cards facedown and end my turn."
Panik drew once more, and the darkness receded slightly, enough for Jason to make out his devilish smirk.
"Now, Illusion of Demise will allow me to special summon Dark Lucius LV4 back to my field… With a bonus of five hundred attack points."
The freakish creature reappeared on Panik's field, a little stronger (1500/300), but still too weak to defeat the Psychic Snail.
"Then I activate Shrink!" bellowed Panik. Jason raised an eyebrow in surprise as suddenly the creature on his field shrieked in pain, and shrunk a great deal, until it was barely half its original size (950/1200).
"Now, Dark Lucius LV4 attacks!"
The demonic man charged towards the snail and slashed forward with its claws. Jason's monster, which normally would have responded by reducing Lucius to ashes, instead moaned in pain and shattered into millions of tiny pieces. Jason's impassive expression did not change. He did not even turn a glance to his life-point counter as blood was drawn from him for the first time in the duel.
(Panik: 7500, Jason: 7350)
"Now, since Dark Lucius LV4 destroyed a monster in battle, I can send him to the graveyard in order to special summon Dark Lucius LV6 (1700/600) from my deck!" The grinning demon on Panik's field began to writhe suddenly, as its muscular frame became more pronounced, and it grew a good eight to ten inches. Its armor changed to a stronger, steel variety, and a long, purple blade flashed into existence in its hands.
"Then I set one card facedown and end my turn." He gave a deep, creepy chuckle once more.
"It shall be fun to destroy such a grand strategy as the one Jason possesses…. Mwuhahahaha!"
Oblivious to his opponent's confidence, Jason plotted his own move. "I summon Clevonce (1200/400) in attack mode."
Yellow, transparent cubes flickered about the area, as did random ones and zero's. Some began forming pieces of a blue and yellow-armored body, and cylinder-shaped head. Sinister, green-computer eyes flashed across the black visored face of the being, as golden and blue patterns ran up the rest of the head's helmet. Yellow teeth shot an equally dastardly smirk. The feet were covered in thin, sock-like hoppers, and white and blue gloves with golden fingers were on the creature's arms.
"Then I activate my facedown Double Summon, which allows me to perform a second normal summon for the turn. I use this benefit to summon Psycho Commander (1400/800)."
With this, a saucer-shaped formation made its presence known, designed with chrome metal and small antenna-like towers revolving around the base. Out of the top-center hatch emerged a green-army-dressed individual, with white gloves on its hands, and a black visor over its head. Four, glaring, red eyes could be seen from the visor. At the front of the saucer, a long, dark-metal cannon with a green barrel deployed.
"Psycho Commander attacks Dark Lucius LV6."
Jason's newest monster charged up a bolt of blue energy within the cannon, and fired it out in the direction of the armored demon. Panik let out a crazed laugh.
"You fool! Do you not know even the basic aspects of this game? You have sacrificed your Commander for nothing!"
"Do you think I would be so foolish as to attack a monster stronger than my own without a purpose?" said Jason dangerously.
(Panik: 7500, Jason: 6950)
"Psycho Commander's effect enables me to pay life-points in multiples of one hundred to reduce the attack points of one monster on your field which battles with a Psychic monster by that same amount. I reduced my life-points by four hundred, weakening Dark Lucius LV6 so that it can be destroyed by my Commander."
The blue bolt struck Lucius (1300/600), and it shrieked loudly as it was reduced to ashes within a matter of minutes.
(Panik: 7400, Jason: 6950)
"Now, Clevonce attacks you dir-…"
Jason paused to see that Dark Lucius LV6 was suddenly back on his opponent's field, clutching its long purple blade and shrieking wildly.
"I see…" he murmured. "Call of the Haunted."
"Yes!" declared Panik triumphantly. "Now, as long as this continuous trap card remains in play, Lucius will continue to haunt you."
Jason glanced back at his hand. "Very well. Turn end."
Panik drew aggressively. "I summon Shadowknight Archfiend (2000/1600) in attack mode!"
A demon dressed in heavy golden armor morphed into existence on Panik's field. Disgustingly enough, parts of the armor had been melted and fused into the creature's body, exposing its dark blue skin at intervals. Looming wings flapped out behind it, while a small yellow helmet was clapped over its face, exposing slit-like crimson eyes. He had massive gauntlets on either hand, with one of them having long metal claws extending out, and the other having a giant blade attached to it.
"Now, I activate the unstoppable field magic card known as Dark Arena!"
There was a flash of light, blinding Jason. When he regained his vision, he found that they were in a dark cave. The ceiling was relatively high in any case, but even so, it was an extremely claustrophobic place. The walls seemed to be bearing down on him, Daniel and Carla wherever they looked. Adding that to the fact that a large number of bones and fangs seemed to be scattered randomly over the floor, it was a relatively intimidating place. Lucius and the Shadowknight seemed right at home there.
"Its effect is going to be extremely useful to me in time," chuckled the former eliminator. "In any case, Shadowknight will now attack Clevonce!"
The knight darted towards the floating creature. He hefted his right hand upward, and his blade would have sliced though it if a golden barrier had suddenly not sprung up around it.
(Panik: 7400, Jason: 6150)
"By paying eight hundred life-points, Clevonce allows me to negate an attack if he is the target of the same."
Panik frowned. If he attacked Psycho Commander with Dark Lucius LV6, Jason would pay life-points to weaken it.
"My turn ends," he grunted.
Jason drew slowly. "I sacrifice Psycho Commander to summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 (2300/1600)."
The mechanical creature was suddenly hidden by black flames. From the flames, large silver wings came out, along with a long silver tail, a pair of powerful talon legs, and finally the main body of the silver metal dragon was seen. It still looked like a large bird, but a much more powerful bird. Its sheer presence seemed to light up the area. Both Lucius and the Shadowknight Archfiend seemed put off by its presence.
"Now, I am well aware of your Dark Arena's effect," said Jason coldly.
"All monsters in attack position must attack during this battle-phase. As long as you have an Archfiend monster, you may even choose the targets of my monsters. I was prepared for that, however. I switch Clevonce to defense mode, and since Horus is strong enough in any case, I may now destroy your Shadowknight Archfiend, as it is that card which makes your field spell that much more effective."
Roaring once more, the dragon beat its sizable wings. It opened its jaws, revealing black flames in its mouth. Breathing out, the flames came spewing out in a stream straight for the gold-armored demon. It raised its gauntlets in defense, but they were know match for the searing heat of the amazing dragon's flames. Within moments, nothing but a pile of ashes remained in the creature's place.
(Panik: 7100, Jason: 6150)
"My turn ends," said Jason coldly. As he spoke, Horus began to morph. "On the end phase of a turn on which Horus destroys a monster in battle, I can sacrifice him to special summon from my deck Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 (3000/1800)."
A large sphere of black flames surrounded the silver dragon in a flash. From the flames came a larger set of silver metal wings, a longer tail, stronger talon legs, powerful silver arms, and at long last, a large silver head. With a massive roar, the flames dispersed.
"In this form, Horus negates the effect of any magic card that I choose."
Panik gritted his teeth. He had not expected the boy to hold cards of this power. Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 was indeed a rare and powerful card. In the right hands, it was nothing short of unbeatable. If he summoned a monster in attack mode, Jason could easily choose not to negate Dark Arena, forcing Panik to attack. The advantages provided to him by Horus were incredible.
The former eliminator drew. "I switch Dark Lucius LV6 to defense mode, and set one more card facedown." The demon dropped down onto one knee, and a brown-backed card appeared behind it.
"I end my turn."
Jason drew. "I summon Spear Dragon (1900/0)," he declared. Morphing onto his field was a dragon that actually resembled a pterodactyl. It had a thin, boney body, with a long beak and thin wings that consisted of a bone-like frame and a thin flap of skin. It had primal, yellow eyes, which reflected its prehistoric nature as it let lose a loud shriek.
"Spear Dragon attacks Dark Lucius LV6!"
The thin dragon took off into the air, its beak beginning to glow as it gained momentum. If it had hit, then the demon would have been destroyed. However, Panik pressed a button on his Duel Disk just in time. "Mwuhahahaha! You should have known that I would've been prepared for your little maneuver! Negate Attack activates!"
The swirling vortex appeared on Panik's field, blocking the Spear Dragon in its tracks. Jason still looked as calm as before.
"My turn ends." Due to its own effect, the Spear Dragon shifted to defense mode, folding its wings over itself in a defensive stance.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The beautiful woman stood alone in the vast expanse of her endless garden. Her soft hand was resting on the bark of one of the many incredibly tall and lovely trees that grew around her. Squirrels scampered around in the grass by her feet, while a chirping sparrow settled itself on her shoulder. The woman, however, was oblivious to them.
"Milady Life," echoed a deep voice from behind her. She inclined her head slightly, even though she knew who it was.
"You wished to speak to me," continued Zeruge Mitsunashi.
Life allowed herself a sad smile. "Do you think that considering our history, the formalities remain essential?"
The demon looked stiffly back at her. "Milady, with all due respect, I am playing an integral role in the campaign against Paradias. I could serve the interests of the Council better if I were sent back to Earth immediatley-…"
"And as I have told you so many times before, Zeruge, the title Milady is non-existent between us. I wish you would address me with the name of the woman you fell in love with, who fell in love with you, all those years ago…."
Zeruge frowned. "If you have called me here to discuss what has passed between us, I am afraid that I have nothing to say."
Life sighed. "We have discussed this before, Zeruge, and I assure you, I am not about to break any of the oaths we both took. I stand by what I admitted before: what happened was a foolish mistake on my part, an error in judgment. However, you still remain one of my most trusted confidantes and one of the Council's most powerful lieutenants. If the formalities ceased, it would make conversation rather easier."
Zeruge did not answer.
She sighed again. "Very well. We shall get down to business."
She bent down, and allowed a squirrel to climb up her arm to settle on her shoulder. Behind her, petals of flowers from trees all around her coalesced to form human-like creatures, which floated around in the air.
"As I said, Zeruge, what happened to you was my fault and only mine. I have realized the necessity for me to make amends to you."
Zeruge stirred, but remained silent.
"When I took the form of a young, Japanese lady named Lila, in the year 1629 AD, I had no idea that I would meet you in rural Japan. I had no idea that I would feel a kind of emotional attachment to you, the likes of which I have never felt towards any one of my creations. It was a different kind of attachment, almost a romantic one, rather then a motherly one. We enjoyed our time together, yes, I admit we did. But, however, it was obviously something that could not last forever.
"I could not bring myself to just leave you. I told you the truth about who I was, and upon realizing I was not lying, I explained to you that we had no future together. However, imagining that the one thing that separated us was the separation in our power, so you merged your soul with that of a powerful demon, until your potential now approached that of the Shadow magicians of Egypt. However, your mortality, and my place as a Council member still separated us.
"Your lack of control over your new powers led you on a rampage, after which I was forced to order Zerato to seal you away. You were stripped of your powers, but in exchange received a kind of immortality, one in which you could not die a natural death. It was a pathetic imitation of life, and the sad irony was that we were both of the same breed now: an undying one. Yet, a Council member cannot have any achievements, meaning we would be forced to stay apart for an eternity. You may or may not believe me, Zeruge, but I love you as my creation, and this situation continues to sadden me more than you can imagine. I have truly wronged you, and for a long time, I wish I could correct this. Finally, I can."
"What do you speak of, Milady?" whispered Zeruge.
Life walked up to him, and placed a hand on his cheek. The demon and the woman gazed into each other's eyes. "I will give you back your mortality, Zeruge, and with it, the powers that had made you one of the most feared warriors in the world. You will be able to leave behind what happened between us for good, and when this war is finished, find a new love. You deserve it, Zeruge. At the same time, your strength will be sorely required in the upcoming battle against Apocalypse. It is a win-win situation for everyone, perhaps most of all for me, as I can finally redeem myself for the pain I caused you through my foolishness."
Zeruge stood shell-shocked for a moment.
"Is this true?"
"I would not lie to you, Zeruge," she said sadly. "I have done that enough."
He raised his hands and looked at them underneath his gauntlets. "To live my life as I would have… That is something I have dreamed of for far too long."
"I should have done this sooner," replied Life, looking down at the ground. "But I admit that I could not face you prior to this."
From within her white robe, she extracted a pulsing ruby. She let go of it, but it continued to float in the air, giving of an aura of red energy.
"Zerato sealed your demonic powers in this stone three hundred and eighty-nine years ago, upon my command. If you permit it, it will take your immortality away from you, but in exchange fill you with the kind of pulsating energy and strength you have not known for centuries. It is up to you, Zeruge. The seal has already been removed. If you come in contact with it, you will become mortal once more."
The demon looked at her, a sad smile on his face. "Thank you, Milady. Thank you…. Lila."
"Thank me not, Zeruge," she whispered, turning away from him.
She continued walking away. Zeruge stared at her for a moment, before turning his attention to the floating ruby. He reached over, and wrapped his fingers around it. A flash of crimson light exploded out of it, consuming the entire meadow. Life was already out of sight.
When the light vanished, Zeruge could be seen staring at the ground. The ruby clinked uselessly to the ground. He stood there for a moment, a blank look on his face.
Finally, he gave a small gasp. "This power…" His entire body seemed to be trembling. His pupils were dilating. Understandably, the feeling of being mortal after nearly four centuries, coupled with the power he now held, was a feeling that took getting used to.
He clenched his trembling fist. Vaguely, somewhere in his mind, he recalled what Zerato had told him of his next mission. His black wings flapped open, and he disappeared into the open blue sky. Life watched him from the distance.
"I understand the frustration of eternal immortality…" she murmured. "The speed of your decision came as no surprise to me. It is one that I would make just as easily myself. One day, Zeruge, I only hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me for what I deprived you of."
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Yes, I have a fair idea what some of you would like to do to me. I don't blame you, but a lot has happened since I last updated. The Lakers are champs (w00t!), I had tests, a birthday, a helluva lot of work, and a few personal issues to sort out. Unfortunately, I have exams coming up in a couple of weeks, but I will have time to write post that. Sorry lads and ladies, but this year is going to be crazy. Less writing will be achieved until March 2010 than I would have liked, but I assure you, this story will never go on hiatus. NEVER!
I hope this is enough for you to chew on for the time-being. I could have updated earlier, but it would have been a lot slower.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Until then, I want to know what you think of the pace of the story, and whether or not I'm giving equal importance to all plot-lines. This is an epic length fanfiction, of perhaps eighty or more chapters, and I hope I don't bore you people into stopping reading before the end. Please give me your feedback here.
Until then, sorry once more, and thanks to all my readers.